Fluid circulation control device for sprayers



July 13, 1954 4 D. BOYER 2,683,621

FLUID CIRCULATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR SPRAYERS Filed Jan. 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 D; r u:

Inventor:

DIDIER BUYER July 13, 1954 D. BOYER 2,683,621

FLUID CIRCULATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR SPRAYERS Filed Jan. 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z/ Inventor:

DIDIER BUYER July 13, 1954 D. BOYER 2,683,621

FLUID CIRCULATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR SPRAYERS Filed Jan. 10, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 AAAAIAAXA TF T Invent or Patented July 13, 1954 FLUID CIRCULATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR SPRAYERS Didier Boyer, Paris, France, assignor to Realisations Techniques Routieres Rater, Paris,

France, a societe a Responsabilite limite Application January 10, 1952, Serial No. 265,833

Claims priority, application France April 5, 1951 3 Claims.

The present invention concerns improvements in fluid circulation controls and, more particularly means for controlling the sprayingof hydrocarbon binders.

Various types of apparatus are used for the spraying of hydrocarbon binders, the best known of which include piping, along which are provided a number of spray nozzles, each one of which is controlled by a cock which may be operated individually. In the devices known to date, after use, the spray nozzles remain full of binder, which solidifies in the pipes and this requires a difiicult unclogging operation prior to the next use.

The object of the present invention, thereof, is a device making it possible to control the instantaneous starting and stopping of the spraying by the desired number of nozzles.

Th invention also makes it possible to place in or out of service, during spraying, any number of said spray nozzles.

In accordance with the invention, each nozzle is subjected to a thorough draining at the time it is put out of service.

These results are obtained in accordance with the present invention by means of a pneumatic valve associated with, and controlling the emission of hydrocarbon binder from, each of the nozzles and a single distributor which is operative to control the various pneumatic valves for alternately feeding either hydrocarbon binder or compressed air to the associated nozzle. The invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the appended drawing wherein:

Figure 1 shows a vertical section of a pneumatic valve in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows a front view, partly in section of the same valve.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a distributor valve used in accordance with the present invention in association with pneumatic valves of the kind shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figure 4 shows a section along IV-IV in Figure 3.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic representations of the distributor of Figs. 3 and 4 showing the flow paths therethrough for the several operating conditions of the distributor.

Figure 9 shows, diagrammatically, a spraying installation comprising the control elements which are an object of the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a pneumatic valve according to the invention, by means of which, using the distributor shown in Figures 3 and 4, it is possible to place in service a given spray nozzle and to put it out of service at any desired moment, with a flow of compressed air being passed through the associated nozzle when it is put out of service to ensure thorough draining of the nozzle. This valve is generally identified by the numeral 26 and includes a housing having an inlet pipe I and an outlet I for the hydrocarbon binder with a valve seat 2 being disposed between the inlet and outlet. The valve member consists of a bi-conical element 3 having a stem 4 extending therefrom and inside a vertical body 5 and associated at its upper portion with a piston 6 moving inside a pump cylinder 1. A first compressed air inlet 8 opens into the pump cylinder I below the piston 6 while a second compressed air inlet 9 opens into a chamber IE! in the body 5 located around the lower portion of the stem and opening into the outlet pipe I of the valve housing.

The piston 6 and consequently the valve 3 are constantly pressed downwards by a spring II bearing, on the one hand against the upper wall I2 of the pump cylinder 1, and on the other hand on the upper portion of the piston 6. When compressed air is sent through the conduit 8, the

. piston 6, hence the stem t and the valve 3, are

raised and the binder arriving through the conduit I can flow through the valve seat 2 and out through the conduit I. If, on the contrary, the compressed air is sent through the conduit 9 and the supply of compressed air to conduit 8 is cut off, the piston is forced downwards by the spring II, the valve member 3 closes the valve seat 2 and the compressed air flows through the outlet pipe I and drains the corresponding spray nozzle connected to the outlet I.

The control of the alternative supplying of com: pressed air to the conduits 8 and 9 of each pneumatic valve 26 is obtained, as shown in Figures 5 to 8, by means of a distributor such as the one represented in Figures 3 and 4 and generally identified by the reference numeral 25. This distributor comprises a body portion I3 having a compressed air inlet I4 opening into the interior chamber 22. On this body is secured, by means of bolts I5, a cover I6 which has an axle H extending rotatably therethrough, with a distributor plate I8 being provided on one end of the axle I1 and pressed against the cover It by a, spring I9 and controlled by a lever 20 extending from the axle IT. The cover I6 has, adjacent to one another three conduits 2 la, 2Ib and Me, in communication, respectively with conduit 9 of valve 26, the atmosphere and conduit 8 of valve 26. These conduits are intended to be selectively placed in communication with the chamber 22 through related horizontal ports 23. As seen in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, distributor plate I8 is formed with circumferentially spaced openings 24a, 24c, 24a and 24c which extend therethrough to permit communication between the conduits 21a and Zlc and the interior 22 of the distributor when either of the openings 24a and 24a is registered with the port of conduit 21a, or when either of the openings 24c and 240' is registered with the port of conduit 210. Further, the distributor plate [8 is formed with an arcuate groove la in the face thereof confronting or bearing against the cover [8 to communicate either conduit 2la or conduit Zlc with conduit Zi'b which opens to the atmosphere.

From the foregoing and the illustrations of Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, it is apparent that the plate ill of the distributor 25 can be manipulated to selectively provide any one of four different conditions. Thus, the plate I8 can be positioned to cut off all communication between the conduits Zia, 2H) and Ho and the interior 22 of the distributor (Fig. 5); or to send compressed air to the conduit 9, leaving the conduit 8 open to the atmosphere (Fig. 6); or to send compressed air to the conduit 8, leaving the conduit 9 open to the atmosphere (Fig. 7); or, finally, to send compressed air simultaneously to the conduits 3 and 9, with the conduit Zlb, which communicates with the atmosphere, being sealed-off.

The application of this distributor 25 to a system for spraying hydrocarbon binders is shown in Figure 9. In this figure, there is shown, diagrammatically, at 25, the distributor of the type shown in Figures 3 and 4. This distributor receives the compressed air at Hi, and is provided with a conduit Zlb for connection with the atmosphere and conduits 2 la and 2 lo for communication with the conduits 9 and 8, respectively, of each of a series of valves 26 of the type shown in Figures 1 and 2. The inlet l of each of these valves 26 is connected to a manifold 21 through which a supply of hydrocarbon binder is continuously flowing under a suitable pressure. The hydrocarbon binder enters the manifold 21 through an inlet 28 and the binder which is not sprayed from the nozzles 33 is exhausted from the manifold through a return outlet 29. The conduit Zla of the distributor 25 is connected with the conduit 9 of each of the valves 26 for effecting their draining, and the control of these valves 26 is provided in the manner indicated above by connecting the conduit 210 of the distributor to the conduit 8 of each valve through a collector 32 and a line or pipe 30 extending from the collector 32 to the conduit 8 of each valve 28 and having an individual three-way valve or cook 3i interposed therein.

Some of the spraying nozzles 33 are secured on a portion 34 of the end of the manifold 21, which may constitute an extension for the fixed portion 35.

The array of cocks 3| may be arranged along a scale indicating the widths of spraying. The feeding of hydrocarbon binder into the manifold 21 at the inlet 28 is obtained by a motor-pump set (not shown) sucking the binder from a tank (not shown) and forcing it to circulate at a substantially constant pressure.

The compressed air, at a pressure of 5 to 7 atmospheres is supplied by a compressor (not shown) which can also be controlled by the motor of the motor-pump set, and a check valve 36 is preferably interposed between the conduits 9 of the valves 26 and the conduit Zia of the distributor 25 to prevent backing-up of the hydraulic binder into the distributor.

When the spraying manifold 21 is at a variable height, the pipe extending from the conduit Zla to the valves 26 and the bundle of pipes 39 each comprise a flexible section.

Similarly, when the manifold 21 includes knuckle joints, the draining collectors of the valves, placed beyond said knuckle joints, and the individual control conduits for the pneumatic valves, should comprise a flexible section allowing the folding back of the extension in the selected horizontal or vertical plane.

It will be realized that, owing to the arrangement of the system of pneumatic valves with automatic draining and of the distributor according to the invention, a very rapid and automatic control is available, offering all the desirable characteristics of flexibility and safety.

The invention, of course, is not limited to the type of embodiment described and represented and covers the whole field defined in the appended claims:

What I claim is:

1. A spraying device particularly for spraying hydrocarbon binders comprising at least one spraying nozzle, a manifold for containing a supply of the material to be sprayed, means for conducting the material to be sprayed from said manifold to said nozzle, valve means in said conducting means for halting the flow to said nozzle of the material to be sprayed, said valve means including a valve seat interposed in said conducting means, a valve member formed to seat on Said valve seat and having a valve stem extending therefrom, a'valve housing defining a cylinder chamber around said stem, and a piston on said stem working in said cylinder chamber, a first compressed air inlet means opening into said conducting means between said valve means and said nozzle, and control means operative to open and close said valve means and to supply compressed air to said first inlet means when said valve means is in its closed position for effecting drainage of the material to be sprayed from said nozzle, said control means including spring means working on said stem to yieldably urge the latter in the direction causing seating of said valve member on said valve seat, second compressed air inlet means opening into said cylinder chamber at the side of said piston opposed to the action of said spring means and compressed air distributing means operative to alternatively supply compressed air to said first air inlet means and said second air inlet means.

2. A spraying device according to claim 1, wherein said valve housing defines a second chamber around said stem and separate from the first mentioned cylinder chamber, said second chamber opening into said conducting means at the side of said valve seat towards the nozzle, and wherein said first compressed air inlet means opens into said second chamber.

3. A spraying device particularly for spraying hydrocarbon binders comprising a plurality of spraying nozzles, a manifold for containing a supply of the material to be sprayed, means for conducting the material to be sprayed from said manifold to each of said nozzles, valve means for each of said nozzles disposed in said conducting means for halting the flow to the related nozzle of the material to be sprayed, each of said valve means including a valve seat interposed in the conducting means to the related nozzle, a valve member formed to seat on said valve seat and having a valve stem extending therefrom, a valve housing defining a cylinder chamber around said stem, and a piston on said stem working in said cylinder chamber, a first compressed air inlet means opening into said conducting means between each of said valve means and the related one of said nozzles, and control means operative .to open and close each of said valve means and to supply compressed air to said first compressed i air inlet means when the associated valve means urge the related stem in the direction causing seating of said valve member on the related valve seat, second compressed air inlet means opening into said cylinder chamber of each valve means at the side of the related piston opposed to the action of said spring means, and a common compressed air distributing means operative to alternately supply compressed air to said first compressed air inlet means and said second compressed air inlet means associated with each of said nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,935,977 Geer Nov. 21, 1933 2,301,848 Beaman Nov. 10, 1942 

